Outline
Level
For absolute beginners and those with some experience.
Suitable For
Adults and Teenagers
Description
Build a remote controlled robot using the Microbit controller. Code it using simple drag-and-drop blocks. Compete in one or more competitions.
The Competitions
Groups can choose from the following competitions on the day:
- Obstacle course. Navigate your robot across some tricky terrain using a remote control.
- Speed race. A straightforward race from A to B.
- Sumo. Robots are placed in a 2m square. Robots are elimated as soon as a wheel touches the perimeter.
- Hockey. A team game involving pushing or flicking a puck across the goal line.
- Balloon combat. Choose your weapon! They try to pop your opponent’s balloon whilst trying to prevent them popping yours!
Detail
Here is a rough outline of the session:
Demo
Demonstration of typical robots. Walk through the available competitions. The group will choose two competitions.
Design
Choose your
- robot body, from a variety of available pre-cut wooden parts
- wheels, from a variety of sizes
- motors, from a variety of speeds
- adornments, such as lights and decorations
- weapons, including grabbers, flippers and flickers
Build
Assemble your robot and controller.
Code
Assemble the code and assign functions to the controls. Coding will be a simple drag-and-drop exercise suitable for total beginners, but those with coding knowledge will be able to develop the code further, e.g. customising robot movements, lights or weapon action!
Practice and Tweak
Teams will get a chance to practice with their robots and fine-tune their robots and code.
Compete
Run the competitions and prize-giving. Heats will be organised according to the group size.
Duration
From 3-6 hours. Extra time gives more opportunity for refining the robots and additional competitions.
Number of Attendees
Max 20